page_title: Lukang, Changhua
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Lukang, Changhua / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Map of the Taichung (T'ai-chung, Taichū) area, Taiwan (ROC). From the Tawian AMS Topographic Maps series.
context_page_description: Lukang, formerly known as Lugang and by other names, is an urban township in northwestern Changhua County, Taiwan. The township is on the west coast of Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait. Lukang was an important sea port in the 18th century and 19th century. It was the most populous city in central Taiwan until the early 20th century. In March 2012, it was named one of the Top 10 Small Tourist Towns by the Tourism Bureau of Taiwan.
context_section_description: During the Qing Dynasty, the depth of Lukang's harbor and its proximity to Fujian province on mainland China made Lukang an important trading port.  During Lukang's heyday from 1785 to 1845, Lukang's population reached 20,000. Lukang was Taiwan's second largest city after Tainan and was larger than Bangka (now a district of Taipei), then the island's third-largest city.
  The subsequent silting of the harbor and the city's refusal to allow railroads to pass through the city led to losses in trade in commerce, which, in turn led to Lukang's decline relative to other cities, which were experiencing considerable urbanization and population growth.  This same decline, however, averted the modernization processes that demolished historical buildings in Tainan and Taipei, leaving Lukang preserved as it was in the past.
  During the period of Japanese rule, the city was Taiwan's fifth most populous city, with a population of 19,805 according to the December 1904 census. The Hoklo people in the area were predominantly of Xiamen and Quanzhou origin, thereby speaking the Quanzhou dialect of Hokkien. Nanguan music is highly popular in Lukang and originates from Quanzhou.
  In 1920, Lukang was governed as Rokkō Town (鹿港街) under Shōka District of Taichū Prefecture.
caption: Map including Lukang (labeled as Lu-chiang (Rokko) 鹿港) (1954)
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